The decline of civic literacy

When Democrats promise lavish benefits with no cost, the ignoratti believe them

The Friday Letter / No. 466 / Nov. 12, 2021

In our first How they Voted report on Wednesday, we listed six of the more frightening and truly obnoxious provisions of the $1.2 trillion domestic spending bill that passed the House Nov. 5, led by amnesty for illegal aliens and the gift of drivers licenses and work permits.

How politicians can twist information, even if mostly factual, speaks to the need of teaching our children how to think logically. Because we are no longer a nation of readers, the fight is a tough one, the odds low.

Here is how Rep. Stephanie Murphy sold this bill of goods to her Central Florida constituents:

“At least $13 billion to improve highways like I-4,” she begins, then adding a list of grants for road, airport, commuter rail, drinking water, and broadband projects. The letter presents everything as a gift, never acknowledging that $1.2 trillion will be paid through the most cruel of government confiscations, inflation.

Like all Democrats, Stephanie thinks her constituents are stupid enough to believe that they will pay no price, that it's always somebody else who pays. Not another Democrat would ever be elected to any office if voters understood that government doesn’t produce wealth, but only redistributes it through taxation and government-engineered inflation, which erodes the value of the currency, caused by the printing of fiat money, also known as funny money.

Only a person schooled in logic is able to read two vastly versions of the same topic and understand how they differ. Rep. Murphy says the “bipartisan” (hardly) bill will modernize public transportation in her district, including “$100 million to extend broadband to the 700,000 Floridians who lack it.” Who could oppose that?

She doesn't say that the bill allows technology companies – including the Biden administration's censorship partners Twitter and Facebook – to discriminate against U.S. citizens in the hiring of foreign workers. Or the $400 billion to lower the beginning age of indoctrination through universal “free” pre-K. Or the $500 billion for “climate spending.”

All that Stephanie Murphy wants her Democrat voters to think about is all the free stuff that's about to come their way, with no obligation on their part to do anything.

As we learned from the election last week, conservative voters – not just Republicans but people whose values are conservative and moral – have political power they once thought only leftists possessed. They spoke up at school board meetings. They wrote letters. They voted.

Lawmakers get barrels of mail and can't possibly answer them all personally. But their aides do read most of them (I assume), and chart trends of how voters are thinking. And while Democrat lawmakers generally are digging in with no plans to pivot in the face of their rejection last week all over the country, the mere public airing of the national gripe is encouraging to would-be challengers and voters alike. Here's what Rebecca Heber of Lake Mary, Fla., had to say in response to Rep. Murphy's constituent letter:

“Dear Congresswoman Murphy, There is nothing about this "Infrastructure" bill that is going to help anyone but corrupt, self-absorbed, and self-serving politicians. And to say bipartisan when describing what those RINOs did in voting for it is a stretch. Shame on Washington (which is asking too much) and those dismantling America piece by Constitutional piece. The silver lining of the colossal failure of Democrats, liberals, progressives, and the Biden administration to offer any program or solution that is even remotely helpful to actual citizens of our country is that the degree of their collective and gross incompetence is in full public view. Thankfully, the recent Virginia and New Jersey elections signal that more and more Americans are waking up to the bankruptcy and hypocrisy of wokeness and of the mounting failures of the policies and leadership of the Democrat party.”

I will bet lunch that Stephanie Murphy won't be moved by this argument. But others who read it should be encouraged and motivated to get off the couch, pick an issue, become informed, and prepare for battle.

Short takes on the news

If any doubt remains that the FBI is the Democrat Party's goon squad, see Debra Heine's report at American Greatness about its raid on the homes of reporters who work for Project Veritas, a non-profit that uncovers corruption in government and private organizations. “It appears the Southern District of New York now has journalists in (its) sights for the supposed crime of doing their jobs lawfully and honestly,” Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe said in a video statement. . .

Slow learners. Apparently taking her cue from Virginia Democrats who plan no changes in their behavior after losing the governorship and House of Delegates, Boston's newly-elected mayor stands by her promise to remove police from Boston public schools. Michelle Wu confirmed her position just a day after a high school principal was knocked unconscious by a 16-year-old girl. Removing police, Wu said, will bring racial justice to the city's schools and “decriminalize” student behavior. . .

Update on New Jersey Senate race. Senate President Steve Sweeney conceded to his Republican challenger, Edward Durr, and congratulated him. On election night, the Associated Press had called the race for Durr, who was leading by 2298 votes. Later, Democrat Party officials said they had found 12,000 votes that weren't counted, and Sweeney at first declined to concede. Durr is a truck driver who said he spent about $5,000 on his campaign. . .

MMM: More Media Mediocrity. A New York Post story reported that Kyle Rittenhouse, “who was then 17, traveled from his hometown of Antioch, Ill., to the demonstrations and shot three men, killing two of them.” This reads to us like Kyle Rittenhouse woke up one morning and told himself “Time to hit the road and kill some people.” What the Post failed to say was that Rittenhouse went to Kenosha, Wis., to help with cleanup and to protect a friend's business during the Black Lives Matter and Antifa violence in 2020. This story appeared before the prosecution's shabby case began to unravel as its own witness said Rittenhouse shot him in self defense when the witness aimed a loaded handgun at him. . .

But Rep. Hakeem Jeffries isn't waiting for a jury to deliberate the state's case against Kyle Rittenhouse. “Lock him up and throw away the key,” the New York Democrat demands, even though he has not been present to hear the testimony. While we're at it, let's repeal the 5th and 14th Amendments. . .

Great moments in firebranding. A New York Post story describes Sen. Rand Paul a “firebrand conservative.” Have you ever read a mainstream media report on a “firebrand liberal”? Probably not.

Small minds matter. The Pentagon press flack, retired Rear Adm. John Kirby, told a press conference that China and climate change are “equally important” threats. . .

Shortest honeymoon ever? Virginia Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin praises the multi-trillion-dollar giveaway because it will help the Old Dominion pay for things the state won't pay for. Welcome to the swamp! . . .

Eleven Senate Democrats are asking Joe Biden to do something about rising motor fuel and heating oil prices. Biden's solution will surely run along the lines of price controls (leading to even more shortages) and subsidies. Here's an idea: Resume fracking and open the pipelines. You're welcome.

Today's quote

“I don't know why we have to give money to countries that hate us. They should be able to hate us for free.” – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana

Correction

In our How They Voted report Wednesday on a House Resolution to express solidarity with Cuban freedom-fighters, we incorrectly identified Rep. Steve Cohen as a Republican from Tennessee. Mr. Cohen is a Democrat who voted Present on the resolution.

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